Tax Delinquency Update

I wanted to share a few bits of financial information. I have mentioned previously I am working on the Isanti City budget. We are all well aware we are in for tough financial times with the mortgage crisis and its offshoots of tax and utility payment delinquency and the recessionary trend we are on with the latest downward turn in durable goods orders, high fuel cost and on and on.

As we progress in the budget process we are gathering more and more information as it becomes available. This latest piece is the tax delinquency trend.

2004 $43,958
2005 $67,667
2006 $92,158
2007 $209,655

These are real dollars not being paid in taxes. They will be paid eventually but that could be 2 months or 2 years. If it is a foreclosed home or a bankruptcy situation it can be years before a new buyer has to pay the back taxes. Another piece of information I want to share is that 4 of the top 10 tax payers are not paying their taxes for this year. That equates to $261,000 just in these four alone. These are developers and individual businesses.

A levy point is roughly equivalent in the past budget to $33,000. To cover the lost revenue from these four alone would equal an 8% property tax hike. This is just the impact of these four there are unfortunately many others that have not paid either. Now some will pay in the next few months but many if not most will not. This leaves us to balance a budget without knowing when significant payments to the City will be made.

This is another statement proving that my years long fight against rapid residential development and its terrible impact on our City was justified. Some will take this information and say we need to raise taxes to keep the same amount of revenue flowing into the City. This is of course nonsense. Why should we punish those that actually pay their taxes because others do not or can not pay their taxes? That’s like punching your friend in the face because someone else punched you. I will be presenting a budget that keeps spending in line with our tax base, the same way I did last year. We need and will live within our means as a City.

Our battle last year to pass a budget that for the first time in modern Isanti history actually cut spending from the previous year's spending. This passed on a razor thin 3-2 vote. If it had not we would be faced with an even higher mountain to climb. The budgets we prepare for the next two years will be extremely difficult and I am sure there will be many disappointed people as we will once again be saying no too many request. We however must treat ever tax dollar that the City receives as a sacred trust. We must maintain the highest possible level of service at a cost we can afford.

We have developed a number of new financial tools to continue our strong commercial tax base expansion. These will be coming before the Council in the next two months and I hope they will pass so we can turn our numerous commercial lots into tax paying properties. A quick example is an undeveloped commercial lot paying $1000 that has a commercial structure of average cost will pay $25,000 if it is a hotel that will range $60,000 to $100,000. We need to continue to be aggressive in building our commercial tax base.

We must not react and hike taxes and further the harm already done to families that are on the edge of keeping their homes. We must maintain the excellent business climate we have created in the last year and build upon our success in the years to come to diversify our tax base. We must pass a sensible budget that maintains long term goals and immediate services. We must and we can and we will continue to move our City into a brighter tomorrow no matter how dark the future looks.

New Isantian

The new Isantian will be mailed out soon but is already on the City Website;

http://www.cityofisanti.us/Irene/04-08-Isantian.pdf

Check it out and let me know what you think.

george@georgewimmer.com

Council Member Johnson not to seek re-election

The County News is reporting that CM Johnson is not seeking re-election to the Council. He states in the article, http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2973&Itemid=1 that he is running for the 3rd District County Commissioner seat. This is the second known candidate, the other is Gail Genin according to a campaign business card I was handed, for the seat.

So far we have one Bradford Township and one City of Isanti Candidate. The 3rd District is made up of Bradford and the City of Isanti. I would expect the list to grow and I will look forward to speaking with each declared candidate about how they will serve the 3rd District and the City of Isanti.

This will be an interesting race as the district is split by the Rum River and registered voters are relatively equal between Bradford and the City of Isanti. A successful candidate will have to make the case on both sides of the river that they can represent all of us at the County level.

Anyone that thinks they can win the district by only appealing to one area over the other will not like their results. I will now stop offering my free campaign advice to all candidates. I hope the 3rd district will be energized by this campaign season. This was one of my reasons to declare I would not seek the office a few weeks ago, so others that might be interested could move forward with their candidacy.

March 18th 2008 Council Update

The Council tonight unanimously approved the contract with the new City Engineer, Bolten & Menk, Inc.

The Council also approved a contract with ECM publishers to print our City Newsletter. I will be posting my Isantian article here shortly. This article detail my reasoning for improving the newsletter.

The Council approved a conditional use permit for a new indoor play park business. This would be an added attraction to Isanti especially in the winter months.

The Council approved a 3% cost of living increase for all non-union employees. This matches the increase given to the the public works employees and what is being offered to the police union employees.

The Council authorized an open house to discuss the proposed rental ordinance. I have worked on this issue for the past nine months. The City needs to enact a rental ordinance for the protection of renters and property owners. It gives us useful tools to manage an ever larger segment of our housing stock.

We should also be clear that landlords are running a business. Just as the City and other levels of government regulate and license businesses, rental businesses also need to be regulated. This is an issue many cities are tackling due to growth and the change in the housing market.

Delinquent Taxes

The Cambridge Star will have a listing of delinquent taxes in its March 19th issue. This is of course just the beginning and perhaps only the beginning of the beginning. We will be faced with the repercussions of the housing collapse and impending or existing recession for the next several years.

Depending on what "expert", and some are the same experts that got us where we are today, you listen to this will be a 2-5 year "correction". We take the unpaid taxes on top of the foreclosures which appear to be somewhere around 70 in Isanti alone and we are faced with a daunting task before us. Some will want to raise taxes to increase revenues to the City so we can continue to pretend everything is fine at City Hall.

I however have never understood how taxing people out of their homes are a solution to anything. I will not revisit my tax positions here tonight but I warn those that think City spending can continue as if in a vacuum, not taking into account the devastation wrought on our citizens by the greed of a few and their helpmates.

We are also faced with the homes in foreclosure that might be abandoned. The City is often holding the bag for the cost of maintaining these properties until they are finally sold. We also must contend with bursted pipes in homes that have not been heated or frozen pipes that burst once the warmth of spring starts to thaw out pipes. We are working to address each of these issues.

I sit on the Finance Committee which is tasked with solving the daunting financial problems we face. The fees for maintaining properties or back taxes and so on evenetually get paid when a property sells but this could be in two weeks or 2 years. The city however must continue to function and provide services regardless of the problems we face. We must do everything we can to maintain property values and not allow blighted properties to exist let alone spread throughout the City. If we allow even one run down foreclosed home to grow over in weeds we have allowed a cancer to form that will infect Isanti.

We will make it through this crisis together. We will keep taxes low and we will continue to provide the needed services we all depend on. This can and will be done. A critic of mine after I was elected Mayor sarcastically said “I hope you can keep your promises"

Of course we did keep our promises, we cut taxes, increased services, reformed City Government and increased our commercial tax base. This could only have been accomplished with the support of the Great Citizens of Isanti. We can face any challenge together. Our recent success is a testament to what we can achieve. We face tough times to be sure but so does the entire country. I would rather face the future here in Isanti with each of you than anywhere else.

2008 Arctic Plunge Success

2008 ARCTIC PLUNGE is a great success!

The ARCTIC PLUNGE committee is pleased to present a check for $23,958.72 to ISANTI COUNTY SAFETY RESCUE!

We would like to say a special thank you to all of our sponsors, jumpers and volunteers who helped to make the 2008 Arctic Plunge such a wonderful event! Thank you to Isanti County Safety Rescue for their support and assistance at the event.

For the endless hours we all spend on this event, it is with great satisfaction to see it all come together and make a difference in our community!

We look forward to seeing you all at the 2009 ARCTIC PLUNGE!

The Arctic Plunge Committee~

Herb Knutson
Sue Lysdahl
Warren Lysdahl
Carrie Englund
Brad Olson
Duwayne Dutkiewicz
Jim Lundeen

All I can add is WOW. What a great success!!!

Emailing List

I have received a lot of request to be on the blog email list. Simply email me and let me know that you want to be on my email update list and I will add you to the confidential list.

george@georgewimmer.com

Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner

Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend its 2008 ANNUAL FUND-RAISING DINNER EVENT

Spectacular Events Banquet Center

Saturday, April 5th, 2008 Tickets: $40.00, ($45 at the door)

6:00 p.m.: Social/Cocktail Hour • 7:00 p.m.: Dinner •

Silent Auction • Live Auction • Raffles • Games • Door Prizes •

Guitar Hero

Mayor George Wimmer challenges Chamber President Jaysen Guthmueller.

SPRING FLING Call the Chamber Office for tickets: 763-444-8515.

Mcgyan News Conference Update

The news conference went very well. Just watched Kare 11's report and they did a nice job. Isanti was mentioned as the location of the production facility using the Mcgyan biodiesel process. Channels 4, 5 and again 11 are to be broadcasting this event on their 5pm broadcast.

This type of project helps put Isanti on the map as a leader to a better future. I want to again thank the McNeff family and Landmark Bank for giving Isanti the opportunity to show how progressive a community we are.

I am excited that all our hard work over the past year is bearing fruit, not only in our own city but, in the eyes of the state and beyond.

Here are links to past Mcgyan post:

http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-16th-council-meeting.html
http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2007/10/ever-cat-press-release.html
http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2008/03/mcgyan-news-conference.html

Link to Ever Cat Fuels

http://www.evercatfuels.com/

Link to Kare 11 story

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=501156

KSTP story

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S371712.shtml?cat=1&v=1

Blood Drive Kudos

I gave blood today at the Isanti Community Blood Drive at the Isanti Community Center. Paulette Gehrke and all the volunteers do an excellent job. An interesting fact that shows just how great this group and our Community is; the Isanti Community Blood Drive is ranked 5th by Memorial Blood Centers in the state of Minnesota. The top 10 are as follows:

1. Target
2. Best Buy Corporation
3. Donaldson Company, Inc
4. North Memorial Medical Center
5. Isanti Community Blood Drives
6. Target Corporate Center
7. Ameriprise Financial Center
8. Thrivent Financial Center
9. General Mills World Headquarters
10. Cargill

Great job to all the volunteers and to all those that give the gift of life with their donation of blood; I thank each and every one of you.

Quick Update

Bolton & Menk, Inc. was approved tonight as the City of Isanti Engineer. This was a tough split 3-2 vote. I will not go into it all again but it was hard and we need to move on. I did state again that the promises of Bolton & Menk are my base line expectation. I held MFRA to a high standard and will not accept anything less.

The Revolving Loan Fund was approved. I will be talking about this more in the future but it is a big step forward and a good victory for Isanti tonight. It had been kicked around but I wanted to drive this to reality and we got it done.

Plunge Picture

Great cause meets cold water

Mcgyan News Conference

Augsburg Student’s Summer Research Project Leads to Biodiesel Discovery
Experts call it a modern day miracle that could revolutionize fuel production worldwide.

Simple lab experiments at Augsburg College and the SarTec Corporation resulted in the discovery of a chemical process that could free the United States from its dependence on petroleum diesel fuel. This history-making discovery works so well it even surprised industry analysts. It started with the curiosity of Augsburg student Brian Krohn and ended with three Twin Cities scientists creating the “Mcgyan Process.” This chemical process will revolutionize how biodiesel is produced worldwide, and the impact on the environment and the economy will be astounding.

FACTS ON THE MCGYAN PROCESS:

•Beneficial to farmers: Converts feedstock oils and animal fats to biodiesel fuel.

•Cheaper to produce: Enables the use of lower cost feedstocks (can save $2/gallon)

•Faster: At least 100 times faster.

•Environmentally cleaner: Doesn’t use water or dangerous chemicals. Converts materials completely with ultra low emissions.

•Energy cost savings: Will lead to cheaper heating bills for homes and businesses.

•Cutting-edge technology: Led to process that will use algae to produce biodiesel and clean the air of carbon dioxide emissions released by coal-burning plants.

Brian Krohn initiated the project by deciding to study new ways to produce biodiesel. After Krohn’s preliminary research, his professor advised him to contact chemist Dr. Clayton McNeff, an Augsburg alumni and vice president of SarTec. McNeff, his chief scientist Dr. Ben Yan and Professor Arlin Gyberg took Krohn’s idea and created a chemical reaction that has never before been described in scientific literature. As a result of the Mcgyan Process discovery, McNeff co-founded Ever Cat Fuels based in Anoka. It is the only plant in the world using this method to manufacture biodiesel.

Experiential learning is a key element in an Augsburg College education and that commitment will now lead Krohn to a promising future and open the door to opportunity for Augsburg students for years to come. “This one-on-one relationship between professor and student may result in one of modern day’s greatest discoveries,” says Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. “Augsburg is proud to be in the forefront and grateful that it may lead to a source of on-going funding that will enable us to take our science program to great heights.”
A patent is now pending on the Mcgyan Process which is named for the three scientists officially credited with the discovery: Dr. Clayton McNeff, Dr. Arlin Gyberg and Dr. Ben Yan. Ever Cat Fuels Corporation is currently producing 100,000 gallons of biodiesel per year and is using it as a power source. Its production capacity will increase to 3 million gallons per year when its new plant begins operation in Isanti later this year. But it won’t stop there. Ever Cat Fuels hopes to sell the technology and equipment to nations around the world.

News Conference - Photo Opportunity

Augsburg unveils the Mcgyan Process inside the chemistry lab
Detail revealed on revolutionary energy production
Date: Friday, March 7, 2008
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Augsburg College Science Hall – Room # 302B
707 21st Ave. S.
Media should park in "Institutional Advancement" parking spots behind the
Oren Gateway Center (enter off 21st Ave.).
Metered parking also available there.

Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow, Dr. Arlin Gyberg, Dr. Clayton McNeff, Dr. Ben Yan and Brian Krohn will be available for interviews.

*A DVD of the Mcgyan Process and a beta dub of the Ever Cat Fuels facility will be available to media at the news conference.

For interviews or more information, please contact Carol Scheer or Kari Logan at e-mail to: carol@celpr.com or kari@celpr.com
Contact: Carol Scheer -- 651-295-1534 Kari Logan -- 612-998-0955

Thank you Arctic Plunge Committee

The Plunge was amazing this year. The Arctic Plunge Committee does such a fantastic job. The hard work all the volunteers do to raise money for Isanti Safety and Rescue is nothing short of a miracle in action.

I want to personally thank these incredible individuals. Their hard work and tireless energy will help save the lives of our friends and neighbors through the items that will be purchased from the funds raised. Go to http://www.arcticplunge.com/ to see pictures of the Zodiac rescue boat that was purchased out of the funds raised in 2007.

Again thank you to the Arctic Plunge Committee for another great event.

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P.S. to anyone that may have pictures of my jump I would greatly appreciate a copy.... send to george@georgewimmer.com thank you

Industries Incorporated Fundraising Dinner

You are invited to join us for;

INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008
Spectacular Events
1001 County Road 5 NE • Isanti, MN
(One mile East of Highway 65)
6:00 p.m. – Social Hour & Auction Bidding 7:00 p.m. – Dinner & Speaker
7:45 p.m. – Silent Auction & Games

Silent Auction!
Games & More Games!
Including wine pull, heads & tails; etc.
Banquet Bucks
Available for pre-sale.

For more information contact Industries Incorporated:
Kris McNally, 320-679-2354 x 14 • 500 S. Walnut St. • Mora, MN 55051
Denise Johnson, 763-689-5434 x 15 • 601 S. Cleveland • Cambridge, MN 55008

Tickets
(Available thru Feb. 29)
$30.00 each
AVAILABLE AT:
Kanabec State Bank Mora
Cambridge State Bank Cambridge
Community Pride Bank Isanti
Industries, Inc.
Mora & Cambridge

FUNDS RAISED ARE USED TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED

Supporting people with disabilities and other challenges for over 40 years, by providing training and employment services for greater independence in the community.

Arctic Plunge in 3 Cold Days

2008 Arctic Plunge The Arctic Plunge is coming up soon. March 1st at Captians on Long Lake. I am placing a link here and to the left if you are interested in jumping. This makes my third year jumping and second year sponsoring.

The Plunge captures our community spirit of giving. I am enclosing a few words from the Plunge Website:"Each year the committee determines the event beneficiary. This year's beneficiary is the Isanti County Safety and Rescue.Please join us for a fun filled family day on March 1st!

The event start at 10:00AM with Vintage Snowmobile Races sponsored by the Long Lake Improvement Association. The old fashioned Ice Cutting demonstration begins at 1:00 PM. Brought to you by the Englund Family. Finally, the much anticipated ARCTIC PLUNGE begins at 2:00PM.

This year we will have two sets of bleachers for your convenience. Tell your friends and come early to get a good seat!"Go to http://www.arcticplunge.com/ for more information and to look at the Zodiac last year's fund raiser bought for Isanti County and Rescue.

Everyone needs to help make this event a success....plunge and help raise money for Isanti Safety and Rescue...the money you raise may one day help save your life.

Union Contracts

Union negations have been ongoing in the City of Isanti. We were able to settle with the Public Works Union but unfortunately the Police Union has rejected the contract proposed by the City after months of negotiation. We were notified today that the Union is filing for mediation. I am personally very disappointed in this outcome that a contract that asked for no concessions from the Police Union but offered 3% pay increases per year, an excellent health plan, the start of a shift differential and a number of smaller City concessions did not pass a union vote.

The City, state and country are heading into incredibly difficult financial times and to have a contract that still offers more to our officers than they currently have rejected is difficult to understand.

Our excellent health plan is incredibly expensive for the City but we feel it is important to maintain a high level of benefits for our employees but it comes at a cost. Unfortunately the proposal the Union made to the City was to average four communities Police Officer pay rates.

The communities proposed were North Branch, Cambridge, St Francis and Princeton. I asked that we should then take a look at the populations and tax bases of each community and then adjust the rates as a percentage compared to Isanti. North Branch's tax capacity is $9,068,153, Cambridge is $7,040,025, St. Francis is $5,755,259 and Princeton is $3,425,349. These figures are based on League of Minnesota Cities information for 2007, the most recent information provided. Isanti's tax capacity is $3,438,930.

Oddly enough Princeton's pay rates are less than Isanti's and our tax bases are virtually equal and St Francis does not provide a health care plan instead they give a cash payment for the officers to purchase their own health care. This payment is less than what it cost the City of Isanti to provide health care.

The 2008 top pay rates provided to us show North Branch at $28.44 per hour, Cambridge at $26.31, St. Francis at $27.99 and Princeton is $24.02. Isanti's proposed rate would have been $26.39. Cambridge just settled and Princeton and St Francis were also tentative settlement agreements. These are new numbers not from years old contracts.

Even if you accept out of hand the premise that we should be compared to these cities we are above Princeton and Cambridge whose tax base is double ours. We are less than St Francis and North Branch whose populations and tax bases are quite larger than our own.

The Isanti police department is stable, officers are not fleeing for higher paid jobs in the metro nor do we lack high numbers of qualified applicants for police positions. I know this as we just hired a new police officer.

I wish we could offer more than a 3% pay increase per year but financially this would put us on a course that would do harm to the City and department. We have grown our department over the years, renovated the former City Hall to a modern police station so our officers no longer had to work out of a former hair salon, and finalized the third purchase of a new Dodge Police car as requested by the officers. The new police information system the city purchased last year has improved our policing tools. We need to be fiscally responsible so our Police Department can continue to grow and serve our City. It does no one any good to expand cost at such rate they can not be sustained.

We have a good department and I want to make sure it last for generations. It is difficult to not be able to do everything that is requested by our fine officers but Isanti's tax revenues are already in a shortfall position. I serve on the finance committee and we are already struggling with a roughly $140,000 short fall in property tax revenue. These are property taxes that are not being paid and we have no idea when they might get paid. This is unfortunately only the beginning.

We should all know by now that the national and state economy is suffering. The state will be releasing a deficit projection believed to be over a billion dollars. When the state needs to balance its budget it often does it on the backs of cities, counties and school districts as it did in 2003. Isanti has a 21% cut in Local Government Aid last year and I fear there will be more of the same. This coupled with the mortgage crisis and its affect on property taxes; I will be compared to scrooge or the grinch when I have to constantly talk about fiscal discipline.

The way out is to build our commercial tax base. We have had brilliant success in 2007 and this year looks to be strong as well. We need to continue this growth by keeping taxes and fees fair to attract more businesses. It roughly takes two years to start receiving the full tax revenue from new businesses when it is new construction. Just as a new homes first year tax bill is often just the lot tax it is the same with a business.

Property taxes are incredibly regressive. No matter your income, you pay the same rate, rich or poor. Property taxes hurt lower income families the most of all. High taxes and the hidden tax of increased valuations are running some families out of their homes. This is just one of my motivations, and perhaps the one I take to heart the most, to make the City live within its means.

We have a plan for success....we need to follow it....

City Engineer Update

Well there is no good way to say this so here it is…..Wenck will not be the City Engineer. Wenck did not disclose the primary engineer that would serve Isanti would be unable to attend Planning Commission meetings nor Council meetings because he was already dedicated to another city.

I was frankly quite angry and disappointed that at the very least this was an overt act of omission. I firmly stated at the Council meeting that the promises made by each engineering firm were my base line expectations. I met with Wenck and expressed my reaction to their proposed changes in a blunt exchange. Wenck failed in their first act and performed a bait and switch and therefore can not be our engineering firm.

The Council will take this up at the next meeting and decide how to proceed. As I know more I will inform you.

City Services

In 2007 The Isanti City Council initiated an important reform, one of many. This reform was to initiate the process of consultant review in an orderly process. These include City Engineer, City Attorney, Financial consultant, banking services, bond consultant and so on. We would take these major consultants and go out for a RFP, request for proposal, from the industry. Speaking for myself, I did not like the idea that you simply continue with a current firm until they make a major mistake. Going out for RFPs makes sure we always have the best possible service at a competitive price. This year it was city engineering services and next year it will be City Attorney services. Last night we also finalized our review of City banking services.

MFRA has been the City Engineer for many years and has done good work. There were a number of difficult issues however that needed to be addressed, again speaking for myself my greatest concern rest with communication. Communication with Citizens and taxpayers, businesses and the Council needed to be dramatically improved. I will not go through the list of specifics but time and again the same type of problem would occur. The Council and I have constantly stressed the need for city government to improve communication. The City has worked hard on this front with great improvements to the City website, the Isantian Newsletter and hopefully soon we will have audio and then video available online and through cable access. We expect the same commitment from our service providers.

When I ran for Council in 2004 and Mayor in 2006, I stressed the need for a more responsive government. This means a government that listens and responds with speed and respect. This does not mean everyone will get the answers they want but it does mean that our Citizens and taxpayers will be treated with respect and dignity. I am always amazed that some seemed to be constantly surprised when we follow through on a stated goal.

Isanti received many excellent proposals and we interviewed four prospective engineering firms, MFRA was one of the four. The Council chooses Wenck on a 4-1 vote. This was an incredibly difficult decision for the Council. Any of the four would have served the City well. I can only speak to my decision which was based on the written proposals and the interviews. Wenck’s written presentation spoke to Isanti’s needs and goals better than any of the four. Their interview was good and the approach they will take to providing service to Isanti will continue moving us forward. I did state last night that the promise of service is our expectation. If Wenck does not fulfill our expectations I would not hesitate to fire them.

The banking service RFP brought proposals from all our local banks and credit unions. Landmark has been Isanti’s bank for generations. Landmark came forward with an aggressive proposal for services that made the most financial sense for our taxpayers. The Council voted to approve Landmark’s proposal 5-0 and to continue our banking relationship. Landmark has always served Isanti well and in the rare situations that do arise they respond immediately.

It was a tough night for the Council but a good night for the City.

New Isantian Example

The new Isantian example is located at;

http://www.isanticountynews.com/images/stories/promotions/isantian/isantian.pdf

View it and let me know what you think. If you are a business and interested in placing an ad please let me know.

george@georgewimmer.com
763-442-8749

3rd District Commissioner Race

There has been a lot of talk and rumor about the 3rd District Commissioner position. Commissioner Pagel’s announcement not to seek re-election has energized our district. I have been inundated with questions regarding this position. I am honored by the outpouring of support and confidence that I would be able to have a positive impact on County Government. We have made great progress in the City of Isanti in 2007 and I am working hard to continue our success.

With all our success Isanti still faces perhaps the toughest two to three years in our history. We face the ever growing mortgage crisis, failed developers leaving devastation in their wake and lower City revenues due to unpaid property taxes and utility fees. The reforms that have been put in place along with the reforms yet to come and the tremendous commercial growth all hinge on continuing the plan we started in 2007.

We have turned a corner as a City but as hard as it was to make the great progress in the past year it can slip away just as fast. I can not in good conscience leave the City of Isanti. I made a promise to do the best with my limited abilities to lead our City out of the mistakes of the past and into a brighter future. We are succeeding better than any of us could have hoped in such a short time. There is a lot of work yet to be done and our job will only be tougher.

You and I did not create the local, state and national mortgage crisis or the looming economic recession but only together can we continue our success. 15 plus new businesses and relocations in 2007, property tax cut, leveling off of City spending, fully funded new water treatment plant, new police lieutenant and patrol officer, dramatic decrease in crime, Long Term Financial Plan, developer fees that actual pay the cost of development, Council rules and procedures, nuisance ordinance reform and so on and so on…..I can not promise there will be no hardships to bear in the future, I can promise I will not leave you this November to shoulder them alone.

I will not equivocate; I will not run for the 3rd District Commissioner position this fall. We have hard work to do and I intend to continue doing just that.

The Plunge is just around the Corner

2008 Arctic Plunge

The Arctic Plunge is coming up soon. March 1st at Captians on Long Lake. I am placing a link here and to the left if you are interested in jumping. This makes my third year jumping and second year sponsoring.

The Plunge captures our community spirit of giving. I am enclosing a few words from the Plunge Website:"Each year the committee determines the event beneficiary. This year's beneficiary is the Isanti County Safety and Rescue.Please join us for a fun filled family day on March 1st!

The event start at 10:00AM with Vintage Snowmobile Races sponsored by the Long Lake Improvement Association. The old fashioned Ice Cutting demonstration begins at 1:00 PM. Brought to you by the Englund Family. Finally, the much anticipated ARCTIC PLUNGE begins at 2:00PM.

This year we will have two sets of bleachers for your convenience. Tell your friends and come early to get a good seat!"Go to http://www.arcticplunge.com/ for more information and to look at the Zodiac last year's fund raiser bought for Isanti County and Rescue.

Everyone needs to help make this event a success....plunge and help raise money for Isanti Safety and Rescue...the money you raise may one day help save your life.

February 5th Council Meeting Update

The Council has, I hope, laid the idea of a new or significantly renovated liquor store to rest tonight. The request to spend another $16,300 on design plans for a major renovation lost on a 2-3 vote.

We moved forward on a project I have been working on. I have always believed the City needs to do a better job communicating with our residents. In this light the Isantian will be given a facelift. The City staff photocopied quarterly news letter that goes out to 2000 homes and tax payers will be professionally printed. We will be selling advertising to defray the cost. These will be business card sized ads at the bottom and a possible full page ad.

The new Isantian will cost the City less, save labor cost and photocopier wear and tear. This is the quintessential project that offers more, cost less and becomes a blue print for future progress in communicating with our Citizens.

Caucuses

The Isanti County News does a great job describing the locations for the Caucuses.

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2614&Itemid=59

Commissioner Pagel not to seek Re-election

Third District, City of Isanti and Bradford Township, Commissioner Tom Pagel will not seek re-election... http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2621&Itemid=1

I have grown to appreciate Commissioner Pagel's abilities and skills as I have worked with him on City issues. I was unaware he was not seeking re-election and his experience and expertise will be missed.

February 5th Council Meeting

The February 5th Council meeting will be held at 3pm as to not conflict with the evenings Caucuses. We have to end no later than 6pm by state statute. We have a few items I want to highlight.

We will be holding a public hearing on the Minnesota Investment Fund Program application for Ever Cat Fuels bio-diesel facility. This is not only a benefit for Ever Cat Fuels but a benefit for the City. We get to keep 20% of the loan repayment plus interest for a city revolving loan fund. This fund can used to expand current businesses or attract new businesses. Free money from a state program to make our City business climate more attractive to new growth is a wonderful benefit. I am also hoping we can add to this fund.

The other item I want to discuss is less optimistic in my opinion. The Liquor Store Committee is recommending we spend another $16,300 for architectural plans. It will not shock the regular readers of my Blog that I think this is good money after bad.

We can not afford a major renovation that will eat up our cash reserves and add new debt. We have already spent over $100,000 on this project, this does not include the hours and hours of staff time, we do not need to waste another $16,300.

CM Duff and I lost the vote last time to block this. I hope we can gain the needed votes to put a halt once and for all to this process. Here are my previous post about the liquor store math and why it makes no sense…

http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2007/11/liqour-store-by-numbers.html http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2007/12/liquor-store-by-numbers-ii.html

Things to do in Isanti

I thought I would post some of the information about current and upcoming activities in the City of Isanti.

Rum River BMX has done a great job the last few years. This year they have landed a national 3 day event that will bring thousands to Isanti. To learn more about this great group... http://www.rumriverbmx.com/index.html

The Isanti Red Birds provide great entertainment. Our City baseball team games are free to the public and fun to watch. Check them out this summer... http://hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=ISANTIREDBIRDS&t=c&s=baseball&p=home

The David C. Johnson Ice Arena plays host to many events from the Circus, home show, numerous hockey games including the Cambridge Isanti Youth Hockey Association. Isanti's outdoor hockey rink also host the youth hockey group. This is a regional draw facility that is totally funded by the Arena itself. Great example of a community asset... http://isantiarena.org/index.html

The next great community asset is the Cambridge/Isanti soccer complex, yes I wish the names were reversed, which host tens of thousands of players and parents each year. All the way from 4 year olds to high school are on these fields nearly every night starting in spring and running through to the fall. For more information http://www.cambridgeisantisoccer.net/

The Isanti Rodeo in conjunction with the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce Jubilee Days draws thousands and thousands to Isanti. The Isanti Rodeo Association has raised over $900,000 for fire and rescues activities. A corner stone of our Great City's identity is the Rodeo and all its corresponding activities. I look forward to seeing everyone again at the Rodeo and Jubilee Days events. To learn more about the Rodeo go to http://www.isantifiredistrict.org/isanti_rodeo_assc_

To learn more about our Great Chamber and their numerous business and community events go to: http://www.isantichamber.com/

The Community Involvement Team host wonderful City functions such as the Snow Flake Skate, Old Tyme Dance, Bike Rodeo, Sockhop & BBQ, Take a Kid Fishing Day and so many more too numerous to mention them all. Check the Isanti City website calendar page for more information: http://www.cityofisanti.us/calendar.php?

There are many more that I have not listed but I wanted to make the point we have so much to offer in our Great City. Many of these, thankfully, help encourage activity so Isanti can live up to its designation as a Governors Fit City.

A Safe Place

Isanti's "A Safe Place" program is a wonderful example of community members taking the lead to help when and where we can. The program which is administered by the Isanti Police Department provides safe places, homes and businesses, that if children are afraid for their safety are able to seek help. Then the parents or police are called if there is trouble or the child is scared.

The host of A Safe Place must pass a back ground check and a training session. The homes and businesses participating will have a yellow laminated sign in there window stating they are "A Safe Place".

I am participating in this program as I believe it is incredibly important for our children to have a safe place in times of need. I would encourage you to contact the Isanti Police Department ---763-444-4761--- and check into this program and if able, to help out.

Goal Setting Session

One is never to speak or write when they are angry. Well I am breaking that rule. I am incredibly frustrated by portions of the discussion from today’s goal setting session.

The positive was that the five major goals from 2007 are coming along quite well. All the work we are doing on business development and creating a great environment for economic growth is moving along wonderfully.

My frustration is that the Council seems to have moved back to the idea that the City must keep everyone entertained at tax payer expense from the time they wake until the time they sleep. Comments were made that the City does not do anything for kids and there is nothing to do here.....hmmm so the numerous parks and trails, basketball courts, tennis courts, BMX track, soccer fields, outdoor and indoor hockey rinks, pleasure ice rink, baseball fields, river landing and Skateboard Park apparently are figments of our collective imaginations. Then the bowling alley and gymnastic center must not exist either.

So what does this really mean? Well apparently they want an enhanced community center with a pool and room for other fun activities. This sounds great to me too except for the price tag and the ongoing cost of operating such a facility. Last year I was part of a group that talked to representatives of the YMCA and got a rough figure in the $7,000,000 range for a small stripped down facility. The membership they would need for the facility was larger than the total population of our city.

So OK let’s do our own.....well with a pool again makes this a multi-million dollar project with ongoing funding from the city. This type of project in a time when all cities are dealing with the fallout of the housing crisis, lower tax revenue, less state aid and higher health care and employee cost is the definition of frivolity.

I have been working hand in hand with our business community to bring in more commercial growth to increase our tax base but some want to spend it before we get it.

I would love to have as many great options for our Citizens as the next person. I am however not willing to raise taxes the 20% to 50% or double city debt to fund these projects. Such tax hikes and added debt will cripple our business growth and wipe out our great gains from 2007.

The liquor store still has been moving forward by a 3-2 vote, this will strip out $250,000 in cash reserves, which should be used to ride out the economic storm we are experiencing, and bring less money per year to the general fund. If a City funded library, community center and pool are added to this list in the next year or two Isanti will simply crumble under the weight of the millions of dollars of debt.

I want a library and we are often compared to what the cities in Chisago County did. This is not a fair comparison since the Chisago County government footed the major cost of these great projects. Not the case in Isanti. The City tax payers carrying the full cost of a regional facility is a hard argument to make.

Something happens to some people after they get into office that makes them think the money we spend is plucked from a dollar tree in the back yard. I know I sound like a broken record when I constantly state we need to concentrate on building our commercial tax base to keep taxes low and allow us to provide greater services to our Citizens. We sometimes do not do well with delayed gratification but we must remain fiscally disciplined.

I would love to be able to say to my children or grandchildren one day that I was Mayor when xyz was built and have a lasting testament to my service….but my personal pride can not overrule good government. No one may remember me but if I leave a strong City tax base, a strong business community, low property taxes, a livable City, efficient City government, a safe City, and the tax base that allows future generations to build the amenities we all want I will have fulfilled the trust that over 70% of voters of Isanti have placed in me.

2008 Arctic Plunge

The Arctic Plunge is coming up soon. March 1st at Captians on Long Lake. I am placing a link here and to the left if you are interested in jumping. This makes my third year jumping and second year sponsoring. The Plunge captures our community spirit of giving. I am enclosing a few words from the Plunge Website:

"Each year the committee determines the event beneficiary. This year's beneficiary is the Isanti County Safety and Rescue.Please join us for a fun filled family day on March 1st! The event start at 10:00AM with Vintage Snowmobile Races sponsored by the Long Lake Improvement Association. The old fashioned Ice Cutting demonstration begins at 1:00 PM. Brought to you by the Englund Family. Finally, the much anticipated ARCTIC PLUNGE begins at 2:00PM. This year we will have two sets of bleachers for your convenience. Tell your friends and come early to get a good seat!"

Go to http://www.arcticplunge.com/ for more information and to look at the Zodiac last year's fund raiser bought for Isanti County and Rescue.

Everyone needs to help make this event a success....plunge and help raise money for Isanti Safety and Rescue...the money you raise may one day help save your life.

Ever Cat Fuels Plant

Ever Cat Fuels Ground Breaking

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Here is Ever Cat Fuels rendition of there upcoming Isanti Bio Diesel Facility. A picture is absolutely worth a thousand words.

Click to enlarge

Martin Luther King Jr

As we are about to officially celebrate Martin Luther King Jr's birthday Monday, even though it was a few days ago, I thought placing his words here would help us all remember why we celebrate. Why his words are important for everyone at every time in every place.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

City Website

I would like input into Isanti's new website... CityofIsanti.us

As an FYI the City's budget is on this page...

http://cityofisanti.us/govern_city_departments_finance.php

Residential Building Permits

I thought I would share the year end building permit information. I have included the year, number of permits and the permit fees paid to the City. The fees are based on value of work and/or the fee schedule during that particular year. We all understand the drop off in residential building but I thought it would be good to share the true fall off in City revenues at its height of $608,279.00 in 2005 to this years number of $132,878.00. The City's total budget is $3,495,443.


1999---59---$119,764.02

2000--69---$142,229.98

2001--177---$340,530.64

2002--108--$221,831.02

2003--106--$139,863.47

2004--271--$248,766.73

2005--251---$608,279.00

2006--125--$285,603.08

2007--37--$132,878.08

Council Goal Setting

Council goal setting is slated for January 28th. We have had great success with our 2007 goals, three of which were about economic development, Long Term Financial Plan and the water treatment plant.

I am going to continue driving economic growth with my 2008 business goals:

• Hotel Isanti
• Main Street Business Growth
• Highway 5 Commercial Identity
• Further reduction in taxes
• Completed Economic Tool Box
• Decision on Rail Industrial Park
• Close relationship with County EDA
• Fund to help expansion of existing businesses
• Aggressive pursuit of new businesses

I presented these goals to the Isanti Area Chamber several months ago. Each of these is important for further commercial and industrial growth. Some will be harder than others to accomplish but we must remain dedicated to business growth.
Isanti's livability is incredible important to all of us that call our city home. Livability is one of those words that means something different to each and everyone of us. To some it is keeping Isanti a clean looking city, to others it is keeping taxes low or improved policing. It is all these things and many more. I will be presenting my list of goals at the Goal Setting session that will include economic, residential, livability, governmental and few more that do not quite fit any category. These along with all the other Council Member's goals will get sifted down to 3-5 2008 Goals we can all agree on.
I would like to hear from you. What would you like the Isanti Council to work on in 2008. I believe this can be a great process for community involvement.
Post here or email me at george@georgewimmer.com with your suggestions.
My 2008 State of the City Address will be posted in a few weeks. A possible audio version may be uploaded as well.

2008 Arctic Plunge

The Arctic Plunge is coming up soon. March 1st at Captians on Long Lake. I am placing a link here and to the left if you are interested in jumping. This makes my third year jumping and second year sponsoring. The Plunge captures our community spirit of giving. I am enclosing a few words from the Plunge Website:

"Each year the committee determines the event beneficiary. This year's beneficiary is the Isanti County Safety and Rescue.

Please join us for a fun filled family day on March 1st! The event start at 10:00AM with Vintage Snowmobile Races sponsored by the Long Lake Improvement Association. The old fashioned Ice Cutting demonstration begins at 1:00 PM. Brought to you by the Englund Family. Finally, the much anticipated ARCTIC PLUNGE begins at 2:00PM. This year we will have two sets of bleachers for your convenience. Tell your friends and come early to get a good seat!"

Go to http://www.arcticplunge.com/ for more information and to look at the Zodiac last year's fund raiser bought for Isanti County and Rescue.

Everyone needs to help make this event a success....plunge and help raise money for Isanti Safety and Rescue...the money you raise may one day help save your life.

Email Working

My email is now working. Thank you for your patience.

Email Down

My email has been down since last night. I will post when my email is back up. If you have tried to email me please email me again after it is up an going again. Thank you for your patience.

Isantian Article

Hello from the Desk of the Mayor

By: Mayor George A. Wimmer

2007 has been a transformative year for Isanti. We started the year with five Council goals, three centered on improving commercial growth, another on a Long Term Financial Plan and lastly a Water Treatment Plant. I am happy to report success on each front. Isanti has experienced two major business expansions and at least 15 new businesses opening their doors this year.

Main Street Revitalization has moved forward this year. I want to highlight the Qwest Expansion along with Bear Books and American Family Insurance. The Qwest expansion was needed because of our past and future growth. The Qwest building was beautifully built and landscaped to fit Main Street’s historic architecture. The new Bear Books store is a model of future Main Street businesses. Mark Rojas of Bear Books has created a wonderful book store and has gone the extra step of cross marketing with Rendezvous Coffee on Highway 5. This type of entrepreneurship is what makes a Main Street vibrant. Stop in and see his wide variety of books for all ages. Jaysen Guthmueller of American Family Insurance has moved to Main Street. He is the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce President and has taken the lead on Main Street revitalization. He believes in it so much that he is buying the building he recently occupied on Main Street and being the change he envisions.

I want to highlight one of the new businesses which came to Isanti this year. Ever Cat Fuels is a project brought to the City by Landmark Community Bank. In March, staff and I started working on locating this cutting edge, green technology bio-diesel Company to Isanti. The partnership of the City, Landmark and Ever Cat is a model that has brought great results. High paying jobs, numerous spin off potentials, $5,000,000 facility investment keeping our construction workers busy, clean & green technology, are all reasons we worked very hard to make it a reality. This facility puts Isanti on the leading edge of the green and alternative fuels wave. Over 50 people attended the ground breaking December 6th along with representatives from Congressman Oberstar, Congresswoman Bachman as well as State Senator Olseen.

I have dedicated myself to increasing commercial growth so we can provide the products/services, jobs and property tax revenue needed to build a fiscally healthy Isanti. I look forward to an even greater 2008 in commercial growth.

This folds in nicely with the next success of 2007. Isanti was able to cut property taxes. Isanti faced several thorny financial realities. The drop off of development and builder fees along with a 21% cut in Local Government Aid made budgeting difficult. A Staff position was cut in Building Inspections. The Council did fully fund a Police Lieutenant position, a replacement patrol officer and the Community Service Officer position.

We held City spending level with last year. Keeping Isanti affordable through lower property taxes helps residents as well as attracting new businesses to Isanti. Commercial property pays about 50% more in taxes and uses less City services than residential property. The more businesses we attract the lower our taxes will go. My first year as a Council Member in 2005 our City tax rate was 74.21%. The levy for 2008 passed this year at 59.91%.

The last City Council Goal I want to update you on is the Water Treatment Plant. There has been a lot of planning and discussion on this topic. The Council approved the Water Treatment Plant and revenue source at the December 4th Council meeting. The plant is planned to come on line at the end of 2009 and providing water by early 2010.

I wanted to thank the Citizens of Isanti for letting me serve you as Mayor. There has been a tremendous amount of work this year to make our goals a reality and I have loved every minute of it. It is an honor and a privilege to represent our great City.

Please contact me at George@GeorgeWimmer.com or 763-444-7158 with any questions, comments or concerns.

A Few Christmas Quotes

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. ~W.J. Cameron

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it. ~Richard Lamm

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr. Seuss

“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”~ Taylor Caldwell quotes

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” ~Larry Wilde

I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely. ~Charles Dickens

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger. ~ St. Luke 2:10-12

Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit. ~Anonymous

Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present. ~Anonymous

Council 12-18-07 Update

We picked up two more votes for the final Budget Tuesday to make it a 5-0. I was happy to see the Budget and Levy were both passed by 5-0 votes. The fiscal discipline in the budget will prepare us for the future. Next year will be a tougher process as the mortgage and foreclosure debacle continues and possibly worsens undercutting property tax and utility payments. Tuesday was a good night for the City but I have already started working on the 2009 budget process because our decisions will be even tougher.

Did anyone notice the only local city, county or school district that did not get big spreads about taxes was Isanti? Perhaps that is because Isanti was the only one in the region to actually cut taxes. We are now officially at a 59.91% levy rate.

The Council voted 3-2 to move forward with the liquor store expansion process, Duff and I voted against. I voted against for all the reasons I have stated so many times before.

I will be posting my Isantian article here in a few days along with my 2008 priorities.

December 18th Council Meeting

The last Council meeting of the year has 18 agenda items but will center on the levy, budget, liquor store and an exciting new company we have been working with.

The property tax levy will be presented at 59.91%, the lowest in the region. This is made possible by using fiscal discipline in the budgeting process. It has been a long process and a few points still have to be agreed to at Tuesday's nights meeting, but it has set Isanti on the right course. The 2008 budget took a lot of work and many hard decisions.

With all this the 2009 budget we start working on in a few months will be 10 times harder as the housing debacle and all it entails will be hitting us full force next year. It was critically important to keep City spending low this year in anticipation of the 2009 budget work that is in store for us all.

The request has come up again to go out for bids on the architecture of the liquor store. I just do not see the point at this time. The reality of the numbers as I have laid out in the past just do not make this an option. I will not go over this all again here as I have give all my reasons previously. We simply need to make the repairs that are needed and move on.

I wanted to highlight another business we have been working on bringing to town. Hi-Lo Manufacturing is a sixty-year-old manufacturing firm with both a product and CNC contract machining business. They will be in front of the Council asking to assume the requirements of a previous business agreement. This means that a now empty building in our industrial will be bursting with activity. Hi-Lo will be looking to expand as they have also asked for an option of a further parcel of land. This will be their head quarters facility. There are roughly 40 current employees with good wages in this machining company. I would anticipate another 10 good paying jobs in the next two years.

I will keep you posted as always.

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Neighborhood Watch

Villages On The Rum Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Wednesday: December 12, 2007
7:00 p.m. @ City Hall

On the Agenda:
Discussion on light installation in Riverside Park.
Creating "safe houses" in the neighborhood.
Updates on homeless man down by the river.
Miscellaneous neighborhood discussion.
Police Chief Ron Sager will answer our questions.

I will also be attending.

Truth in Taxation Update

I wanted to share some of the facts presented at last nights meeting.

The first set of numbers is the level of City expenditures by year:

2004----$ 1,576,920.00

2005----$ 2,168,170.00

2006----$ 2,856,136.00

2007----$ 3,481,635.00

2008----$ 3,495,443.00

The levy rate from 2002 to next years as will be presented December 18th.

Year-----Levy Rate

2002----77.17%

2003----77.75%

2004----73.85%

2005----74.21%

2006----68.41%

2007----64.66%

2008----59.91%

Our City expenditures have leveled off for 2008 and our tax levy continues to decrease.

Ever Cat Fuels Ground Breaking

Ever Cat Fuels is breaking ground on the Bio-diesel plant December 6th. This is a great triumph for Isanti. I have enclosed a link to a past post to bring you up to speed if you are unaware of the project.

http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-16th-council-meeting.html

Ever Cat Fuels Website

http://evercatfuels.com/

Truth in Taxation

The City of Isanti's Truth in Taxation hearing will be held at Isanti City Hall December 5th at 7pm.

December 4th Council Update

The Council tonight handled several difficult decisions that will have lasting impact on our Community. The two major decisions regarding the water treatment plant and City membership on the County EDA led to some vigorous debate. The third item was the liquor store expansion.

The City Council voted unanimously to raise City water rates $10.47 per 7,000 gallons per month. This will take the rate from $21.62 to $32.09 or an increase of 34 cents a day. I have written and spoken about this extensively. This rate increase was the only way the City could honestly pay for the water treatment plant and the water treatment plant is the only way the City can guarantee healthy drinkable water.

As a father of an almost three old beautiful girl and a five year old amazing son, I could not fathom the idea of their long term health could be impacted by cancer causing radium. This is a hard fact all parents face…a fact all residents face. This simply came down to a health and safety issue. We must ensure our water is safe. If a City is unable to do that then there is no reason to have a City.

Isanti is currently blending water from separate wells to keep radium content at a safe level. This will only work if the levels in the one good well remain low and the levels in the two higher volume wells does not increase. We are also in a situation that we can not use both high volume wells at the same time because we do not have enough safe water to blend with from the low volume low radium well.

With the votes tonight to provide the revenue for the water treatment plant and to start the design phase we are on track to have a completed facility by the end of 2009 and full operation by the beginning of 2010. This long lead time was another reason to start this project as soon as possible.

There is not a single Council Member that wanted to raise the rates and we all understood the impact of this decision. The entire Council however has been working on this issue and has seen the serious facts we face. We can not stick our heads in the sand and wish away the radium issue nor can we pretend we have the money coming in by using inflated estimates as was done with the east 65 debacle.

I wish the City had raised development fees years ago to cover such infrastructure cost but it did not. I wish the City had started to reserve money for the project years ago, but it did not. There are many things I wish were handled differently in the past but I can not rewrite history.

Conservative revenue projections were used relating to future growth in order to make sure we are able to fund the project and not build up any more devastating debt. The plant will be built using a low interest state loan which we qualify for because of the radium issue. The plant will also bring the high levels of iron and manganese under control.

The next item is the County EDA. The Council on a vote of 3-2 voted to opt into the County EDA. CM Duff and I voted against because we have not received any description of what the county EDA intends to do or how much they are looking to tax County Residents. With too many questions outstanding we felt we needed more answers to questions before we moved forward. We were however out voted. I was recommended by the Council to Commissioner Pagel to represent the City on the County EDA and to make sure our City’s interest were protected. The appointment as a non-voting member to the County EDA is Commissioner Pagels. The County EDA’s membership is made up of the five county Commissioners and 1 non-voting member from each commissioner district.

The County EDA could accomplish great things if it is organized in the right way with the right mission. The EDA will be a success or failure by the decisions in its first few meetings. I will keep you updated on its development. We have witnessed a birth…a birth of what I do not as of now know…

The liquor store renovation was halted tonight but not completely killed. The votes were not there to go ahead with the unneeded and costly renovation but the votes were not there to outright end further discussion either. Everyone seemed to agree that the partial numbers we received were not enough to base a decision on…that’s a good thing. There was however a consensus to get accurate information before a final decision was made. I do not think a renovation can be done at a cost the City could afford. I am hopeful that if accurate numbers can be together the vast majority if not all members will see the City just can not afford a renovation that reduces liquor store profits to the general fund. I might be dreaming but I hope common sense can prevail.

Liquor Store by the Numbers II

The Finance Committee met Friday and staff presented us with their numbers. Ok so the initial quotes presented at the last Council meeting was $600,000 and for my analysis I used $700,000. Well Staff's information places the total cost with contingencies at $799,500.

There is $225,000 in available cash from the liquor fund after cash needed for operations is deducted. To be clear this is only "extra" if the city does not transfer it to the general fund to pay for city services which helps keep property taxes down. We will come back to this later...

So we have $225,000 in the liquor fund to lower the $799,500 to $574,500. Staff put together the debt payment schedule for a 15 and 20 year pay back. I am going to use the 15 year since it is cheaper. Each amount is the yearly payment amount for the next 15 years.

• $500,000 borrowed = $46,557
• $600,000 borrowed = $55,868
• $700,000 borrowed = $65,180

So back to our net profit analysis from the last post. A 7% net profit yields $7,000 for every $100,000 in sales. $46,557 in debt payments would need $665,000 in new sales or a 35% increase in sales just to cover the new debt payment. This is pure fantasy...
If the expansion yielded a 10% increase in sales, which I think would be quite good considering city growth has slowed to a crawl. Liquor store sales grew 20% from 2003 to 2006. It took 4 years of rapid residential growth to increase sales by 20%. I think 10% in one year with an expansion and no city growth is generous.
10% increase from, lets be generous, $2,000,000 at the end of this year will give us an extra $200,000 in sales. 7% of $200,000 is $14,000. So lets extrapolate this all the way out. $14,000 increase in net profit could make debt payments on $150,000 borrowed over 15 years.
$150,000 plus the $225,000 of cash on hand gets us to $375,000. This however wipes out the cash on hand and gets us exactly no more money to the general fund than we have today. In a few years the growth might get us a few more dollars coming in but then we need to also calculate the lost value of the $225,000 on hand. Simple 5% gives us $11,500 in interest or almost the equivalent a $150,000 would bring to our bottom line.
There are some needs that have to be addressed for a building and equipment that is nearing 20 years. We need a new cooler, registers and some of the exterior block needs to be sealed. We have had issues with the sprinkler system and these need to be addressed. A roof will be needed in about 5 years. All I am asking is that we fix what needs to be fixed so we can get to a point where the market either makes a new store or a sale of the existing store feasible. We are no where near that point.
Last point on that "extra" $225,000. If this is used and the existing sales have to pay for the expansion there will be very little to transfer to the general fund to help off set property taxes. I want to see a budget from those Council Members who push this through that does not dramatically increase property taxes or cut essential city services.
The decision is clear. We need to be conservative with our financial resources to keep taxes low. It was bad decisions like this that has caused City debt to balloon. Decisions that subsidized development at the cost of the tax payer. Decisions that make a needed water treatment plant fall almost entirely on our citizens when this infrastructure should have been paid mostly by development. Our City faces tough decisions, a little more liquor will not wash away the harm of the past nor will it blind us to the course we must follow.

Liqour Store by the numbers

The liquor store debacle continues to unfold. A few more facts for the public to understand. The three Council Members that voted for this project did so on the most dubious set of facts. The quote provided for the expansion was based on numbers CM Johnson gathered. The numbers he received was from one contractor and was not in the form of a binding quote. The other salient fact is it was for only a portion of the project. The quote did not cover any mechanical work (electrical, heating, plumbing), the sprinkler system, parking lot or landscaping work, signage or any equipment. My understanding is this portion was a guess by CM Johnson.

So the majority of three voted to start the expansion project without any way of knowing the true cost of the project. They did not even ask staff to gather proper quotes before they decided to fund the expansion.

This is of course on top of the fact they did not decided how they were going to fund it. I asked staff after last week's 3-2 vote to provide me with the city's options and the cost. The cost provided by CM Johnson state $600,000 for the whole project. I find this to be dubiously low considering all the items that we do not have actual quotes for. Lets use $700,000, which still may be low but considering the architecture fee alone is $37,500 it looks to be closer to the truth.

$700,000 cost minus $200,000 in cash from the Liquor fund leaving $500,000 to be financed. Total financed cost of $548,200 spread over 15 years is $36,546.67. Now the three voting in favor of this motion said the new liquor store sales will easily pay for this. Ok, well lets see how much in new sales it would take. Our liquor store has had a 7% net profit the last couple years, State average of off sale stores is 8% per the 2005 State Auditor's report. So from $100,000 in sales we bring $7,000 to the bottom line. $36,546.67 divided by $7,000 is 5.22. That means we would need over $522,000 in new sales to pay for the project, or roughly a 28% increase in sales.

These are the numbers I am comfortable using. But lets say we can use $300,000 out of the liquor fund without hurting tax payers to much, the increase in sales still has to be $430,000 or a 23% jump in sales. The assumptions being made here are just that. They seem fair ones though...5% interest on the money borrowed and using historical profit levels. Again maybe profits margins will increase but with the fundamentals we have, they would need to increase dramatically.

This scenario is to just break even on the store expansion let alone add any value to the city taxpayers. Perhaps the cost of the expansion will be lower and profits higher. We simple do not know because the proponents of this project have not provided any actual numbers or assumption nor have they asked staff to calculate anything. I am pressing hard for answers and transparency.

I am baffled how anyone could vote to spend over $600,000 with no proof that the numbers are real and no explanation as to how it will be paid. Maybe they are right and I am wrong. If this project goes forward I hope I am very wrong or the city tax payers will be losing money once again because of an irresponsible spending spree.

Share our Thanks

We face another year with our soldiers in harms way. Let us remember their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families. It is often easy to forget the freedoms we take for granted each and every day. We must never forget those that make those freedoms possible.

We are faced with another year of a difficult housing market. Many families in our community have lost or are about to lose their homes. The greed of a few has destroyed the dreams of many. The Isanti community will overcome this as it overcomes all adversity. One of the great programs for those in need is the Isanti Lions Christmas project. Tom Pagel and the Isanti Lions give so much to the community all year long but during the Christmas season they do the work of Angels. Please consider giving to this project that brings joy to those that have so little. Here is the contact information:

Please call Tom Pagel at 763-444-6560 for further information. Donations should be made payable to the Isanti County Christmas Project and mailed to: Isanti Lion’s Club, c/o Tom Pagel, 28339 Bayshore Drive NW, Isanti, MN 55040.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

The First Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:
The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.
-Date: June 20, 1676-By: Governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts
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President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.

They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863

Once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience- Sadi, The Gulistan

Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, For we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.- Galatians 6:9
For flowers that bloom about our feet;For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;For song of bird, and hum of bee;For all things fair we hear or see,Father in heaven, we thank Thee!-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns."-Anonymous

Since the Pilgrims observed the initial Thanksgiving holiday in 1621, this occasion has served as a singular expression of the transcending spiritual values that played an instrumental part in the founding of our country.One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those "insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God" of this Nation's bounty and greatness.

Several days after the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield, the United States celebrated its first national Thanksgiving.Every year since then, our Nation has faithfully continued this tradition. The time has come once again to proclaim a day of thanksgiving, an occasion for Americans to express gratitude to their God and their country.In his remarks at Gettysburg, President Lincoln referred to ours as a Nation "under God."We rejoice in the fact that, while we have maintained separate institutions of church and state over our 200 years of freedom, we have at the same time preserved reverence for spiritual beliefs. Although we are a pluralistic society, the giving of thanks can be a true bond of unity among our people. We can unite in gratitude for our individual freedoms and individual faiths. We can be united in gratitude for our Nation's peace and prosperity when so many in this world have neither.As was written in the first Thanksgiving Proclamation 120 years ago, "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God." God has blessed America and her people, and it is appropriate we recognize this bounty.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, in the spirit of the Pilgrims, President Lincoln, and all succeeding Presidents, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1983, as a National Day of Thanksgiving, and I call upon Americans to affirm this day of thanks by their prayers and their gratitude for the many blessings upon this land and its people.-Thanksgiving Day Proclamation 1983-By: Ronald Reagan

Water Rates

Here are the current water rates:

City--------------7000 gallons-----14,000 gallons

St Francis------$28.50-------------$46.00

Cambridge-----$29.79-------------$50.93

Current Isanti-$21.62-------------$40.24

Proposed ------$31.96-------------$51.14

I want to be upfront about the possible rates. The longer we wait the higher the construction cost. The outcome will be a water treatment plant that will remove iron, manganese and radium. The water quality will improve dramatically. The water will be safe to drink. This is a fundamental turning point for our City. The rate increase is roughly 35 cents a day to get rid of the cancer causing radium.